Sunday, December 20, 2009

Bioshock 2: Big Daddy (Sneak Preview) Figure Review

I was first introduced to Bioshock almost a year ago by a close friend who had an Xbox 360. For the 5 minutes I played, I was thoroughly impressed with the graphics and gameplay. A year passed and I soon forgot about it. Suddenly, I began to thirst for news of first-person shooters that had great graphics, gameplay, and [especially important] a great story. I looked up Bioshock on Amazon.com and happily discovered the game was being sold at a heavily discounted price. "Why the hell not?" and I ended up with my very own copy. I played this game so many times and all levels of difficulty and still haven't tired of it. Coincidentally, NECA mentioned that they were going to produce Bioshock 2 figures for 2010 by first releasing the [well-known] Big Daddy as a "sneak preview" deluxe figure.If you're like me, then you've grown quite fond of the hulking BD with numerous near-death encounters. Having missed out on owning an exclusive small figure of Big Daddy (which was released with the Special Edition version of Bioshock), I so badly desired my very own articulated BD.

The overall package designed by NECA is quite breathtaking. At the bottom front of the packaging displays the "Bioshock 2" logo. The upper-left hand corner sports a sticker labeled "Sneak Preview" in retro colors and font design. The backdrop of the figure portrays the beautiful underwater city of Rapture. There's also a corpse of one of the inhabitants (quite possibly a Splicer) of Rapture. The right-side of the package grandly displays the "deep sea diving" Big Daddy's face as well. And yes, the size of the packaging is much bigger than we're used to. And it's even heavier than usual.

NECA has been known for their scrupulous attention to detail, and their sculpt of Big Daddy is no exception. The minute details on the "diver suit" areas of Big Daddy are just phenomenal. The bolts and little screws sculpted all around just shows how much love and labor that has been poured into BD's creation.

The "broken" [left] knee guard is so convincingly [excellently] sculpted that I thought one of those Chinese factory workers screwed up during the mass production of the BDs. Imagine my surprise (and relief) when I discovered it was originally sculpted to look like that. Silly me.

Surprisingly, the paint application on this figure is consistent for once! It took quite some time for that to happen, but nice job, NECA!

The Bad:

I had a really hard time inserting the smaller [of the two canisters] into Big Daddy's back. No matter how much I pushed and shoved the damned plastic into its designated slot, it refused to move in. I gave up for a few weeks until today. I examined inside the slot and noticed the indentations on the "peg" part of the canister matched the indentations found deep inside the slot. Determined by this discovery, I violently shoved the damned thing, and eventually succeeded. This problem may have been exacerbated by the coat of paint applied around the indentations of the small canister. Interestingly, inserting the larger canister was a breeze.

Although I understand why NECA decided to exclude it, giving Big Daddy some waist articulation would've been nice. This would've allowed me to pose BD in his "shoulder bashing" move as seen in the videogame, Bioshock.

The lack of completely bendable knees is also disappointing, but the hinged ankles sort of make up for it.

The gauge meter (protruding from the smaller canister) lacks the detailed readings (numbers and such) seen in the videogame as well as on the game cover. Little details like this make or break an action figure. Interestingly, NECA decided to leave that part out.

Although Big Daddy was released as a "deluxe" figure, I really had hoped that NECA would've released him as a two-pack with a Little Sister. If you've played the game, you'll know that a Little Sister is always accompanied by a Big Daddy. This would've understandably increased the price, but I'd most definitely pony up some serious cash for that. Thankfully, we'll be getting a Big Sister and Little Sister two-pack sometime early 2010 as a Toysrus exclusive. Keep your fingers crossed.

The Ugly:

Nothing ugly here, folks.

Additional Notes:

I'm really surprised that NECA didn't release this Big Daddy figure with a "chase/variant" figure of an enraged (you can tell by the red-colored eyeholes and his aggressive behavior towards you) Big Daddy. This surely would've increased interest and quite possibly more sales. Heck, I know I'd definitely pay good money for a "chase" version of that.

I purchased this figure from CornerStoreComics.comfor $18.99. (price doesn't include S&H). I recommend ordering this figure from CornerStoreComics.com (last I checked, they charge the lowest price of $18.99 individually). They're really good about packaging and sending out items in a timely manner, and they seem to get their items a little earlier than most electronic retailers I've dealt with. Interestingly though, I've noticed that they no longer notify you (by e-mail or anything) when they ship these out to you. You can also find these on eBay at a slightly higher cost (damn you pesky S&H)!

NOTE: I DO NOT REPRESENT eBAY OR CORNERSTORECOMICS. I HAVE NOT BEEN PAID TO MENTION THEIR NAMES. I AM ONLY RECOMMENDING THEIR SERVICES BASED UPON MY PAST EXPERIENCES WITH THEM.

Overall, NECA's Big Daddy is one hell of a beginning into the Bioshock 2 franchise. Despite the lack of articulation (in some areas), this is one figure you'll most definitely regret not purchasing. If you're still on the fence about this figure, keep in mind that this Big Daddy figure will no longer be released with the rest of the Bioshock 2 figures in 2010.
Score:

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